ADDRESSING RESEARCH GAPS AND METHODOLOGICAL DILEMMAS Methodological or Measurement Issues The conference will help address key methodological and measurement challenges for PBL that include developing and using theoretically sound frameworks for assessing PBL outcomes (Belland, French, & Ertmer, 2009); addressing wide variations in conceptualization of PBL and its implementation and establishing a common framework to study its effectiveness. We will address difficulties of studying PBL at scale including how to measure differences in implementation and create comparison studies that address school, teacher and student characteristics so that we can identify for whom and under what conditions PBL works best. Because the most substantial examples of PBL use are in schools that are radically altering many of their structures and philosophies at once, or integrating many new technologies, this raises additional challenges about how to control for school type and characteristics. There are also issues concerning how to control for teacher and student characteristics, and how to obtain and aggregate data across complex educational systems like districts. The group will share designs and measures that can help address these challenges. Conference Outcomes and Benefits The conferences are part of a larger initiative to develop a collaborative PBL research community. Much of the ongoing work will be done online via a shared collaborative space, where contributors will post examples of research designs, validated instruments, completed research, and links to local initiatives. The proposed conferences will support the larger initiative by proving an opportunity for more extensive and in-depth interchange. The main conference outcomes include an overview and report summarizing key issues in PBL research in K-12, definitions used, etc. Groups will work to develop agreed upon research priorities and a list of methodological issues with recommendations or strategies to consider. When appropriate, we will produce large group consensus recommendations to guide future research (something graduate students and others could cite when proposing new studies). Where there is lack of agreement, we will use our time together to document diverse perspectives, (e.g., as part of our defining of PBL we might create Venn diagrams of projects vs. problems). During the later part of the day we will secure commitments to write articles or book chapters that build on our conversations, make plans for ongoing collaborative research and continued communication. Finally, we will explore whether there is interest in creating a PBL in K-12 dissertation award and how this might be accomplished. Advancement of Emergent Areas PBL is not a new idea, but the idea of large-scale implementation of the pedagogy at the district- or state-wide level is new. Today’s PBL is far more nuanced and complex than at any time in the past, with greater variation across established approaches, both within and outside different school wide reform models. Emerging areas of research we will address include use of new technologies for PBL, new assessments as part of Common Core, and growing interest in connecting in- and out-of school learning. Other major research areas that are emerging include strategies for blended, ongoing professional development, school change and leadership.
Methodological or Measurement Issues The conference will help address key methodological and measurement challenges for PBL that include developing and using theoretically sound frameworks for assessing PBL outcomes (Belland, French, & Ertmer, 2009); addressing wide variations in conceptualization of PBL and its implementation and establishing a common framework to study its effectiveness. We will address difficulties of studying PBL at scale including how to measure differences in implementation and create comparison studies that address school, teacher and student characteristics so that we can identify for whom and under what conditions PBL works best. Because the most substantial examples of PBL use are in schools that are radically altering many of their structures and philosophies at once, or integrating many new technologies, this raises additional challenges about how to control for school type and characteristics. There are also issues concerning how to control for teacher and student characteristics, and how to obtain and aggregate data across complex educational systems like districts. The group will share designs and measures that can help address these challenges.
Conference Outcomes and Benefits The conferences are part of a larger initiative to develop a collaborative PBL research community. Much of the ongoing work will be done online via a shared collaborative space, where contributors will post examples of research designs, validated instruments, completed research, and links to local initiatives. The proposed conferences will support the larger initiative by proving an opportunity for more extensive and in-depth interchange. The main conference outcomes include an overview and report summarizing key issues in PBL research in K-12, definitions used, etc. Groups will work to develop agreed upon research priorities and a list of methodological issues with recommendations or strategies to consider. When appropriate, we will produce large group consensus recommendations to guide future research (something graduate students and others could cite when proposing new studies). Where there is lack of agreement, we will use our time together to document diverse perspectives, (e.g., as part of our defining of PBL we might create Venn diagrams of projects vs. problems). During the later part of the day we will secure commitments to write articles or book chapters that build on our conversations, make plans for ongoing collaborative research and continued communication. Finally, we will explore whether there is interest in creating a PBL in K-12 dissertation award and how this might be accomplished.
Advancement of Emergent Areas PBL is not a new idea, but the idea of large-scale implementation of the pedagogy at the district- or state-wide level is new. Today’s PBL is far more nuanced and complex than at any time in the past, with greater variation across established approaches, both within and outside different school wide reform models. Emerging areas of research we will address include use of new technologies for PBL, new assessments as part of Common Core, and growing interest in connecting in- and out-of school learning. Other major research areas that are emerging include strategies for blended, ongoing professional development, school change and leadership.